A Georgia judge has convicted Matthew Lanz on two counts of murder and additional charges, in connection with the 2021 deaths of a Cobb County firefighter and his wife.
According to FOX 5 Atlanta, a judge found Lanz guilty following three days of testimony at the Cobb County Superior Court. In addition to two counts of malice murder, he has also been found guilty of:
- Felony murder (four counts)
- Home invasion
- Aggravated assault (two counts)
- Possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony (two counts)
- Cruelty to children
- Tampering with evidence
Sentencing has been scheduled for Friday at 10 a.m.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Lanz fatally shot his neighbors, Justin and Amber Hicks, on November 17, 2021. He fled the couple’s Acworth home, leaving their 2-year-old in the residence alone for hours.
During opening statements, the prosecution stated that security footage showed Lanz at his parents’ home, which is on the property line of the victims’ home, on the same night they were murdered.
Footage showed him walking in and around the Hicks’ property between 9:31 p.m. to 9:55 p.m., then leaving the scene at 10:10 p.m.
The victims were found deceased on a couch, after being shot while they watched television. Investigators said they found the 2-year-old soaked in blood, crying and trying to cuddle the bodies of his deceased parents.
A few days later, police arrested Lanz after he broke into a Sandy Springs residence. When an officer responded to the scene, Lanz reportedly stabbed the officer several times in the neck and back; another officer then shot him.
The case had been delayed numerous times, as questions swirled around his mental competency.
In October, a forensic psychologist told the court that Lanz suffered from schizophrenia, but a judge found him competent to stand trial, Court TV reports.
Lanz declined to comment and did not testify in his own defense.
Matthew Lanz’s defense lawyer claimed that Lanz thought he was being “set up” by government agencies, such as the CIA and FBI.
According to Atlanta’s News First, Justin worked over six years as a Cherokee County firefighter. Amber was an audiology assistant.
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[Featured Photo: Hicks couple/Facebook]
